It was the eve of his 12th birthday, and Cooper Berella was opening packages with barely contained excitement – not at the prospect of getting toys and videogames, but examining paintings, photographs and sculptures to display.

“Just look at all these pieces — they’re outstanding,” he raved.

Instead of begging his parents to throw a party, the Northridge boy had asked if he could curate an art show, as he had also done for his 11th birthday.

“Stop It!!” opens tonight at the Munky King Gallery on Melrose Avenue, featuring works from around 100 contemporary artists on the theme of bullying and cyber-bullying.

Artist Misha, whose paintings are a fusion of anime and tattoo design, said she, like many others, signed on simply because Cooper asked them to.

“How can you tell him `no’?” she asked. “That kid is awesome – he’s like a superfan.”

“You have kids who go nuts for the Packers or something; Cooper is the superfan of art.”

The show includes pieces from cutting-edge artists like Luke Chueh, whose catalog includes paintings of cartoon-y bears and other animals in macabre settings; Shin Tanaka, who designs elaborate paper toys; and Dave Pressler, whose paintings and sculptures evoke images of toys transported to a nightmare world.

It also features some of Cooper’s own work, such as an elaborate toy depicting a human heart.

Cooper has been going to art shows for years, and is now a staple in the Los Angeles art scene. Many of the artists appreciate his enthusiasm for their work, and consider him a friend.

“Everybody in the show is doing it from the heart because everybody knows Cooper,” said Kano, who makes animation and graphic novels.

“He’s a kid who’s doing this with a good conscience – to contribute money for a very important subject, which is bullying.

A few of the pieces in “Stop It!!” feature images of children standing up to monsters.

A particularly striking one uses colorful brush strokes to show a boy, Cooper, being hugged by a teddy bear.

Cameron Edison, 15, came all the way from Grand Rapids, Mich., to contribute to the art show’s anti-bullying theme.

The young painter has been taunted for years for being different, and hopes the exhibit will open hearts and minds.

“I just feel that if each person who has caused harm or doesn’t really know the effect of bullying is able to see pain in our art, they may be rethink the way they treat someone, the words they use,” she said, with tears in her eyes.

Part of the proceeds of the art show will go to two organizations whose work inspires Cooper: GLIDE, or Gays and Lesbians Initiating a Dialogue for Equality; and the CHIME Institute, Cooper’s school in Woodland Hills, which is dedicated to inclusive education, where kids of all abilities learn together.

Cooper said he chose an anti-bullying theme because it resonates with him.

As a young child, Cooper was diagnosed with autism, a developmental disorder that makes him easily distracted. The now gregarious Cooper shows few outward signs of the disorder, interacting easily with adults and greeting people with a hearty, “Hey.”

His mother suspects the condition sharpens his memory for details about art.

“He can remember everything he’s seen, the names of people, how much a painting went for, which gallery it was in,” said his mother, Johnny Berella.

“I don’t know if it has to do with his autism or not,” she added. “It probably has a little to do with it, but I do think it also has to do with his genuine love and appreciation for art. ”

Berella said artists have come up to her and told her that Cooper’s interest in their work has inspired them.

“I’ve had a lot of them tell me, `You know, I was starting to get jaded, and Cooper made me realize that what I’m doing does make a difference to people,’ because Cooper really shows his love when he’s talking to them,” she said.

Misha said she and her fellow artists are looking forward to mentoring Cooper.

“He’s going to own the art scene,” she said. “He already draws really well, and he has a lot of people who are interested in giving him any assistance he wants.”

“This kid’s going to kick butt,” she added. “He’s just getting better and better. And if he’s this good now, and he’s getting this much encouragement from this many people, he’s going be knocking it out of the park.”

Cooper hopes the show’s message will get through.

“Pretty much what this art show is saying is `stop it, and speak up, speak up for your own feelings,” he said.

He acknowledges the challenges posed by his autism can be daunting but, he adds as he throws punches in the air, “I battle through it.”

If you go

The “Stop It!!” art show opens at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Munky King Gallery, 7308 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. Call 323-938-0091 or go to munkyking.com/gallery_home.php

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